Insert Coin: New Challengers voting is now open -- help us pick ten semi-finalists!

Our first-ever Insert Coin: New Challengers competition was unquestionably one of the highlights of March's Expand San Francisco conference. And now we're excited to introduce this year's contenders. We've boiled down the entries and now it's time for you to help us pick the semi-finalists. The top ten choices will win a trip to Expand New York, happening November 9th and 10th at the Javits Center, for a chance to win up to $25,000 in funding for their project. Check out the full list after the break and cast your vote right here. Voting closes October 10th.

The Candidates:

The past several years have seen no lack of plays at the home automation market, but few have offered the sort of affordable, malleable solution required to truly appeal to a mainstream audience. AHA seeks to provide components that will allow users to automate their home their way, on the cheap.

We've seen desktop 3D printing explode over the past few years and milling doesn't seem all that far behind. Wire-bending, on the other hand, is another story -- albeit one with some pretty cool visuals. Connect the DIWire to your computer and you'll be bending wire-based art in minutes.

How to grow healthy produce when you live in the big city? These stackable appliances adjust lighting and utilize aeroponic nutrient sprays to help you grow fruits and vegetables in the relative comfort of your urban dwelling.

We've all wanted a heads-up display for our car ever since we first saw Top Gun, right? HeadsUP pulls together a windshield display, voice recognition, gestures and a number of other technologies to help reduce driver distraction.

Who says mail is dead? Well, most people, these days, but what if there were a device that could bring the lost art of sending letters to the 21st century? Mr. Postman is a smart mailbox that you can monitor with your handset.

A powerstrip-based take on home automation. Plug your appliances in and you can remotely control them via smartphone. The included app alerts you to power consumption and a built-in module allows other smart devices to interact with your automated home.

Are you a water hog? The Uji Showerhead has a built-in light that changes from green to red to let you know when cleaning has turned to wasting water.

Visual Impairment Aid for the Blind

The explanation's in the name for this one. The device vibrates in the hand of the user to let them know when there's a potential obstacle in their path. The more it vibrates, the closer the object is.